Estonia names Russia’s main goal ahead of Putin-Trump meeting
Photo: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin (RBC-Ukraine collage)
Estonia believes that Russia has intensified its military actions in Ukraine to achieve maximum results ahead of the meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, according to a statement from Gert Kaiu, head of the Defense Readiness Department at the Estonian Ministry of Defense.
"The use of Shahed-type drones, glider bombs, and indirect fire strikes reflects the Russian leadership’s desire to achieve maximum results ahead of potential peace negotiations," Kaiu said.
According to him, the highest activity remains in the Donetsk region, where, since August 13, Russia has captured an additional 240 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory. The main strike direction is Pokrovsk.
There, Russian forces, using small-group tactics of up to 10 soldiers, have managed to break through a narrow strip up to 10 km deep toward Dobropillia. These actions are carried out without heavy equipment, which makes them harder to detect.
Kaiu noted that in the coming days, the Russian forces may attempt to consolidate their gains using additional forces, drone strikes, and artillery, aiming to cut supply routes between Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka, as well as create conditions to encircle Sloviansk and Kramatorsk.
Russia is also expected to partially rotate units previously operating in the Kursk direction, including paratroopers, and transfer them to the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions to continue operations.
"This once again shows Russia’s priorities, which are currently focused on the full capture of the Donetsk region," Kaiu emphasized.
He added that the current escalation of hostilities should be viewed in the context of the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska, from which the West expects agreements on a ceasefire.
Alaska Summit
Today, Andriy Kovalenko, head of the National Security and Defense Council’s Center for Countering Disinformation, reported that Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov prepared a map of the Donetsk region for Putin to show Trump the "successes" of the Russian army, which do not actually exist.
The meeting between the US and Russian leaders is scheduled for this evening. The White House announced that the summit in Anchorage, Alaska, will begin at 10:00 PM Kyiv time. The composition of the delegation participating in the talks was also released.
Interestingly, ahead of the summit, most Americans do not believe that President Donald Trump is capable of making a wise decision regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine.
In anticipation of the Alaska meeting, RBC-Ukraine outlined three possible scenarios for Ukraine following the Trump-Putin negotiations.
